Juanita was born June 16th, 1929 in Hominy, Oklahoma. She moved with her family to Tucson in 1931 as the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression began to cause unemployment. Her father Augustus (Gus) Fulton Jones was born March 2, 1895 and died August 30, 1974. Her mother, Bessie Ruth McQuire Stroud, born September 25th, 1894, died July 15, 1980. Jonnie grew up with two sisters - Dawn and Helen, who was a half sister from her mother Bessie’s earlier marriage. Jonnie lived in an adobe house her father built in the Tucson Mountain foothills. As a child she had close encounters with a mountain lion, bobcats, and a sidewinder snake. She attended Government Heights Elementary School (now Hollinger K-8), and Wakefield Middle School. Jonnie graduated from Tucson High School in 1947. In August of 1949, she married Wilbur Lee Ray of Kankakee, Illinois. The union produced three sons, Michael in 1952, Gary in 1953, and David in 1958. In addition to her three sons a grandson Cody, son of Gary Ray, survives her. Two granddaughters, Lorrie Tolbert and Leslie Reese who are stepdaughters of Michael Ray, also survive her. Juanita worked as an assembler and inspector for Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon). In 1991 Juanita and son David purchased a two- acre property in Catalina, graced with an exceptional view of the northern ramparts of the Santa Catalina Mountain. Frequent visitors from that adjacent wilderness included nesting owls, coyotes, resident snakes and an occasional badger. She enjoyed the company of cats, dogs and horses that were raised on the property. She had recently recovered from multiple infections requiring two hospitalizations and weeks of rehabilitation. She was supported in her recovery with the help of her beloved sons, and the support provided by Michael’s wife Acacia Alder, Gary’s wife Diane Ray, and David’s life partner Rena Moore. A crucial godsend was neighbor Norma Wolf, whose companionship and watchfulness helped Jonnie stay confident. Her determination to live out her life in her own home is exemplary. Her love for her family is a continuing inspiration.
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